The Authority
The Authority is the all-seeing but not-seen ruling power who dictate daily life in Tot. No single branch of The Authority is run by any one man. Instead, each is broken down into boards or houses of twenty or more gentlemen (referred to as governors), all quite wealthy of course, and with little interest in the poorer folk of Tot. ''Govenors'' Once a governor becomes a governor, he holds the position for fourty years: a number chosen arbitrarily to assure nay-sayers that governors are not, in fact, serving life terms... just most-of-their-life terms. (Though, because the common citizen has no say in who holds positions as a governor, they do have a tendency to re-elect themselves once their fourty years are up.) As you can imagine, when men of great wealth and power are offered more wealth and power, for the duration of their lifetimes, bribery and corruption tend to run rampant. Such is the case in all three houses of The Authority. Though they smile and reassure the public and speak their sweet, soothing words, there are very few good men left governing this city. The governors of each division of the Authority are, in short, the suits. However, as is usually the case in any government, these suits have power over other jobs which, though run and funded by the government, are not necessarily considered representatives of the government. : » The Makers : The branch of government concerned with genetic engineering, altering sentient and non-sentient species as tools for the Authority. Governors of the Makers generally have backgrounds as scientists, and they decide which projects should be focused on. The Makers employ Head Scientists, who oversee experiments and fusing attempts, as well as regular Geneticists and Mechanics. : » The Magistrate : If the Authority had a public face, this would be it. The Magistrate concerns itself with the day-to-day running of Tot, debating legislation, collecting taxes and investing in businesses. These governors are your run-of-the-mill politicians and economists, and the branch also employs Tax Collectors and officials concerned with Publicity, among others. They run the city's Acidine Guard. : » The Mariners : Keeping Tot in the skies requires a lot of manpower, and that is what the Mariners do. While the governors decide where to go at what speed and are in the constant process of reviewing the technology and magic used to keep them afloat, the real work is done by the many Mechanics and Mages - collectively known as the Blackfaces - who tirelessly work in the boiler rooms under the city. Strict Overseers make sure everything happens according to regulations. ''Paramilitary Structure'' *Acidine Guard - The elite police force that enforces the laws and regulations set forth by The Authority. They are also the ones responsible for tumbling to the surface in search of ancient technologies. *Silverwing Society - The Gryphons of the Silverwing Society aid their counterparts, the Acidine Guard, in upholding the laws and protecting civilians. Further Reading See: Tier, The Surface, Species, Islands of Tier, Island Locations, Guilds Major and Minor, The Acidine Guard and Silverwing Society, Occupations and Mist